JP2008311657A - Substrate etching apparatus, and method of treating substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate etching apparatus for etching a substrate by making an etchant flow on both surfaces of the substrate in the state of vertically erecting the substrate, and to provide a method of treating the substrate. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate etching apparatus includes a substrate vertically holding part for holding the substrate in the state of being vertically erected, and an etchant jetting part for jetting the etchant to the upper end of the vertically erected substrate and making the etchant flow down the surface of the substrate. The etchant jetting part is provided on both sides of the substrate respectively and the etchant is jetted simultaneously to both surfaces of the substrate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate etching apparatus and a substrate processing method, and more particularly to a substrate etching apparatus and a substrate processing method for etching a substrate by flowing an etchant on both surfaces of the substrate while the substrate is vertically erected.

  In general, the field of display devices such as liquid crystal display devices and organic light-emitting display devices and the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices can be configured including thin film deposition (vacuum deposition method), photolithography, etching process, etc., and maintain cleanliness. A cleaning process, a result before and after the process, and an inspection process for confirming whether there is an abnormality.

  On the other hand, in the display device field, due to the recent trend toward slimming (thinning) display devices, after the manufacture of the display device, an additional process of slimming the display device by etching the outer surface of the substrate of the display device is being advanced. .

  Therefore, the etching process for the surface of the substrate is an important process that is essential in the display device manufacturing field or the semiconductor device manufacturing field.

  Such an etching process may be performed by selectively removing the thin film according to a pattern formed on the substrate using a physical or chemical reaction to implement an actual thin film pattern, or the entire surface of the substrate may have a certain thickness. To remove the substrate to a certain thickness. Therefore, such an etching process is divided into dry etching and wet etching according to the method. Among them, wet etching basically uses a chemical base, and when an etching solution is applied to a substrate, a spray mode, a dip mode, and a dip and spray mode are selectively used.

  By the way, in the case of the dip mode, the structure is simple and the manufacture of the equipment is easy, but there is a problem that it is not suitable for manufacturing for mass production. Further, since a stain remains on the surface after etching the substrate, it is difficult to apply to the substrate etching process of a display device such as LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode), and the productivity is low. is there.

  On the other hand, in the spray mode, there is an advantage that less stain is generated and the uniformity of etching is better than in the dip mode, and the size of the equipment is not so large even when a large area substrate is processed. However, in the case of the spray mode, there is a problem that the etching rate is slow and it is not suitable for mass production, and the nozzle hole is fine and clogged during the process.

  The technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is to provide a substrate etching apparatus in which an etching solution and an etching uniformity are improved by etching a substrate while an etching solution flows down the surface of the substrate while the substrate is vertically erected. It is to provide a substrate processing method.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a substrate vertical holding unit that holds the substrate in a vertically upright state, and an etching solution is sprayed onto the upper end of the substrate that is upright in the vertical direction. Then, there is provided a substrate etching apparatus including an etchant jetting unit that causes the etchant to flow down the surface of the substrate.

  Preferably, the etchant spraying unit is provided on both sides of the substrate and sprays the etchant simultaneously on both sides of the substrate, so that the etching operation can proceed simultaneously on both sides of the substrate.

  The etchant spraying unit may be a direct-type nozzle that sprays the etchant in a circular shape onto the surface of the substrate, or a slit-type nozzle that sprays the etchant in a line shape onto the surface of the substrate.

  The substrate vertical holding unit opens the upper end portion of the substrate and contacts the lower and both side end portions of the substrate to mount the substrate, even if the substrate jig is a plurality of substrates at regular intervals. It may be a cassette that is vertically spaced apart.

  It is preferable to further include an etching rate measuring unit that measures the degree to which the substrate is etched in real time, so that the degree to which the substrate is etched can be accurately measured.

  The etching rate measuring unit includes a specimen made of the same material as the substrate, and a measuring instrument that measures the degree to which the specimen is etched, which is disposed below the etching solution injection unit. Is preferred.

  The substrate etching apparatus according to the present invention is disposed in front of the etching solution spraying unit, mounted on the substrate to be loaded and supplied, and disposed behind the etching solution spraying unit, and sprays ultrapure water onto the substrate. A rinsing unit that is disposed behind the rinsing unit and is disposed between the substrate drying unit that drys the substrate, the substrate loading unit, and the etchant spraying unit, and injects ultrapure water onto the substrate surface. It is preferable to further comprise a rinsing part.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the substrate is erected vertically and sprayed onto the upper end of the substrate so that the etchant flows down the surface of the substrate. Thus, there is provided a substrate processing method characterized by etching the substrate.

  The etching is preferably performed by simultaneously spraying an etching solution onto both surfaces of the substrate.

  After the etching, it is preferable to spray ultrapure water onto the substrate.

  It is preferable to dry the substrate after the ultra pure injection.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  A substrate etching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate vertical holding unit and an etchant spraying unit.

  The substrate vertical holding unit according to the embodiment of the present invention holds the substrate S on which the etching process is performed in a vertically upright state. In the embodiment of the present invention, the substrate vertical holding part can be constituted by the substrate jig 10 or the cassette 30.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the substrate vertical holding portion is configured by the substrate jig 10, the substrate jig 10 opens the upper end portion of the substrate S and contacts the lower side and both side end portions of the substrate S. A structure for mounting the substrate S is provided.

  The substrate jig 10 is a component that is mounted with the substrate S standing upright. Since the substrate etching apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention performs an etching operation on the surface of the substrate while the substrate S is vertically erected, the substrate S is kept vertically erected during the process. There must be. In general, since the substrate S has a very thin side surface, the substrate S cannot be held in a vertically upright state. Therefore, the substrate jig 10 can be used to hold the substrate S vertically.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate jig 10 contacts the lower surface end portion and both side surface end portions of the substrate S to stably fix the substrate S. At this time, the upper surface portion of the substrate S is kept open. Since the upper surface portion of the substrate S is a portion into which the etching solution is introduced, it must be opened.

  Further, the substrate jig 10 further includes a moving means coupling portion (not shown) that is coupled to the jig moving means 60 and moves the substrate jig 10 horizontally. This moving means coupling portion is provided on the lower surface of the substrate jig 10. It is preferable that the moving means coupling portion is constituted by a roller or the like so that the substrate jig 10 can move stably without vibration.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the substrate jig 10 may further include a side surface guide portion 12 that supports the side surface so as not to fall during horizontal movement. The side guide portion 12 is coupled to a guide bar 72 provided separately to guide the substrate jig 10. Therefore, the side surface guide portion 12 has a structure that can be moved side by sliding while being coupled to the guide bar 72.

  On the other hand, when the substrate vertical holding unit is constituted by the cassette 30, unlike the substrate jig 10, there is an advantage that a plurality of substrates S can be processed simultaneously. As shown in FIG. 4, the cassette 30 has a plurality of substrate insertion ports 32 so that a plurality of substrates S can be mounted in parallel with the substrates S standing upright. When the cassette 30 is used, the etching process proceeds while moving to each process position in units of the cassette 30.

  Next, the jig moving means 60 is a component that horizontally moves the substrate vertical holding unit, for example, the substrate jig 10 or the cassette 30. In the substrate etching apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, the etching process proceeds while the substrate S is horizontally moved in a state where the substrate S is mounted on the substrate jig 10 or the cassette 30. Therefore, the jig moving means 60 performs the role of horizontally moving the substrate jig 10 or the cassette 30 to the position where each process proceeds. The jig moving means 60 is preferably provided in the form of a fixed rail or the like, and it is preferable that the moving means connecting portion provided at the lower part of the substrate jig 10 or the cassette 30 is connected to the rail to move horizontally.

  Further, the jig moving means 60 can reciprocate the substrate jig 10 or the cassette 30 in the horizontal direction while the etching process proceeds. The reason why the substrate jig 10 or the cassette 30 is reciprocated in the horizontal direction in the course of the etching in this way is to improve the etching uniformity of the surface of the substrate S.

  Next, the etching solution spraying unit is a component that sprays the etching solution onto the upper end of the vertically upstanding substrate S so that the etching solution flows down the surface of the substrate. The etchant jetting part can reciprocate in the horizontal direction in the course of etching. The reason why the etching solution spraying part is reciprocated in the horizontal direction in the course of the etching is to improve the etching uniformity of the surface of the substrate S. Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, the etching solution spraying unit can be configured by the downward spraying nozzle 20, the direct spraying nozzle 80 or the slit nozzle 90.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lower injection type nozzle 20 is a component that is arranged on the upper side of the substrate S and injects the etching solution 26 in the direction of the substrate S at a constant speed. The downward injection type nozzle 20 may have various structures, but it is preferable to uniformly inject the etching solution onto both surfaces of the substrate S which is formed in a slit shape and is long. The downward injection type nozzle 20 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is configured to inject an etching solution 26 from a throttle-shaped tip portion 22, and a member 24 for adjusting the injection amount of the etching solution 26 is provided inside the nozzle. Have.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the case of the direct type nozzle 80, it has a shape like a circular tube 82, and the etching solution is sprayed on the surface of the substrate S in a circular shape. The circular tube 82 is connected to a support portion 84, and the support portion 84 has a function of supplying an etching solution. At this time, the diameter of the circular tube 82 is preferably about 1 mm to 2 mm and larger than the existing spray nozzle so as not to be clogged. In the case of this direct type nozzle 80, it is preferable that the pressure at which the etching solution is sprayed is weak enough that the etching solution sprayed onto the substrate S flows down without scattering.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the slit type nozzle 90 has a long slit shape, and the etching liquid is sprayed on the surface of the substrate S in a line shape. In the case of such a slit type nozzle 90, it may be provided on both sides of the substrate S, or one may be provided immediately above the substrate S. Also in the case of such a slit type nozzle 90, it is desirable that the jet pressure of the etching solution is weak as in the case of the direct-type nozzle 80 described above.

  On the other hand, when the substrate vertical holding unit is provided in the cassette 30, in order to etch all the substrates S mounted on the cassette 30, the substrate insertion port 32 of the cassette 30 is separately divided and an etching solution injection unit is provided. Preferably, it is provided.

  Next, an etching rate measuring unit (not shown) measures the degree to which the substrate S is etched in real time. The process conditions can be clearly ensured only after accurately measuring how much the substrate S is actually etched by the etching solution. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, a specimen is arranged at a position to be etched under the same condition as that of the substrate S below the etching solution injection section, and the degree to which the specimen is etched is accurately measured. The degree to which the substrate S is etched is measured.

  Accordingly, the etching rate measuring unit according to the embodiment of the present invention is disposed below the etching solution injection unit, and measures a specimen made of the same material as the substrate S and the degree to which the specimen is etched. It is comprised including. Here, the measuring instrument may be a mechanical measuring means for directly measuring the thickness of the specimen or an optical measuring means for measuring the thickness of the specimen by an optical method.

  Next, the substrate loading unit 40 is a component that mounts and supplies the substrate S. As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate loading unit 40 is disposed in front of the etching solution injection unit. A jig moving means 60 is provided on the lower side of the substrate loading section 40, and an empty substrate jig 10 or cassette 30 on which no substrate S is mounted is waiting in the jig moving means 60. The substrate S can be mounted while moving from the upper side to the lower side of the substrate jig 10 or the cassette 30.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the rinsing unit 50 is a component that is disposed behind the etchant spray unit and that cleans the substrate S by spraying ultrapure water onto the substrate S. After the etching process is performed for a certain time, the etching process must be stopped for accurate process progress. Therefore, all the etching solution present on the surface of the substrate S should be removed, and the rinsing unit 50 sprays ultrapure water onto the surface of the substrate S to remove all the etching solution on the surface of the substrate S.

  Next, the substrate drying unit 110 may be further provided. The substrate drying unit 110 is disposed behind the rinsing unit 50 and is a component that dries gas onto the substrate S to dry the substrate S. In the cleaning process of the substrate S, the ultrapure water present on the surface of the substrate S is removed to clean the surface of the substrate S, and the next process progresses smoothly. In the embodiment of the present invention, the substrate drying unit 110 is composed of an air knife.

  In addition, the substrate etching apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes an initial rinsing unit 120 that is disposed between the substrate loading 40 and the etchant spray unit and sprays ultrapure water onto the surface of the substrate S. You can also. The initial rinsing unit 120 removes impurities by cleaning the surface of the substrate S with ultrapure water before the substrate S is etched, so that the entire surface of the substrate S has the same etching conditions.

  Meanwhile, the substrate etching apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate unrotating unit 130 that is disposed behind the substrate drying unit 110 and discharges the processed substrate S, and a substrate jig in which the substrate S is discharged and empty. In order to automate the process, it is preferable to further include a jig forwarding means (not shown) for moving 10 to the position of the substrate loading unit 40.

  Further, the substrate etching apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention may further include an etching solution recovery means 70. As shown in FIG. 1, the etching solution recovery means 70 is disposed below the etching solution injection unit, collects the etching solution supplied to the substrate S by the etching solution injection unit and flows down along the side surface of the substrate S, and again. It is a component supplied to an etching liquid injection part. In the substrate etching apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, the etching process proceeds while the etchant flows down along the side surface of the substrate S for a short time, so that the etchant used in one etching process is still effective. Has a function. Therefore, recovering and reusing the etching solution can improve the efficiency of use of the etching solution, so that the etching solution collecting means 70 collects the etching solution and supplies it again to the etching solution injection unit. is there. Of course, the etching solution recovery means 70 may further include a filter that can remove certain impurities from the recovered etching solution.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a layout of the substrate etching apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. Along with the processing flow, the loading unit 40, the initial rinsing unit 120, and the etching unit 20 are sequentially arranged from the front side (the side on which the substrate to be processed is loaded) to the rear side (the side on which the processed substrate is unloaded). The buffer unit 140, the rinsing unit 50, the drying unit 110, the baking unit 150, and the unloading unit 130 are disposed. Between these apparatuses, the substrate is transferred by moving the substrate jig 10 by the jig moving means 60. Here, the loading unit 40 loads the substrate S and supplies it to the substrate etching apparatus. The initial rinsing unit 120 is cleaned by spraying ultrapure water onto the surface of the substrate S. The etching unit 20 sprays an etching solution onto the substrate S. The buffer unit 140 performs buffering processing. The rinsing unit 50 is cleaned by spraying ultrapure water onto the surface of the substrate S after etching. The drying unit 110 injects gas onto the substrate S processed by the rinsing unit 50 to dry it. The baking unit 150 performs a heat treatment on the substrate S. The unloading unit 130 discharges the processed substrate S out of the substrate etching apparatus. By comprising in this way, an etching process, a rinsing process, a drying process, etc. can be performed by a flow operation | work continuously in this order.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a layout of a substrate etching apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. The difference from FIG. 7 is that the etching portion is divided into etching portions 20a, 20b, and 20c, and is similarly divided into buffer portions 140a, 140b, and 140c. With this configuration, it is possible to perform etching processes that take a relatively long time in parallel and adjust the processing speed with the rinsing unit 50, the drying unit 110, and the like.

  In the substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the substrate S is caused to flow down the surface of the substrate S by vertically raising the substrate S and spraying the etching solution onto the upper end of the substrate S. It can be etched. Here, the etching is performed by simultaneously spraying an etching solution onto both surfaces of the substrate. Further, the substrate processing method can be performed by spraying ultrapure water onto the substrate S after etching, and drying the substrate S after spraying the ultrapure water.

  In the substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the etching operation is performed in a state where the substrate S is vertically erected, so that a uniform etching effect can be obtained over the entire surface of the substrate S. The speed can also be adjusted.

  Since the etching operation proceeds while horizontally moving the large-sized substrate S according to the present invention in a vertically standing state, the footprint of the substrate etching apparatus can be greatly reduced. In addition, a uniform etching effect can be obtained over the entire surface of the substrate S, and the etching rate is excellent.

  As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and those who have ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can be used without departing from the spirit and spirit of the present invention. The present invention can be modified or changed.

It is a front view which shows the structure of the board | substrate etching apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the structure of the board | substrate perpendicular | vertical holding part which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the etching liquid injection part which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the board | substrate perpendicular | vertical holding part which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the etching liquid injection part which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the etching liquid injection part which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the layout of the board | substrate etching apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the layout of the board | substrate etching apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Substrate jig 12 Side guide part 20 Downward injection type nozzle 30 Cassette 40 Substrate loading part 50 Rinse part 60 Jig moving means 70 Etching solution recovery means 72 Guide bar 80 Direct injection type nozzle 82 Circular tube 90 Slit type nozzle

Claims (19)

A substrate vertical holding unit for holding the substrate in a vertically upright state; and
An etchant jetting unit that jets an etchant onto the upper end of the substrate that is erected vertically so that the etchant flows down the surface of the substrate;
A substrate etching apparatus comprising: The etching solution spraying part
2. The substrate etching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate etching apparatus is provided on both sides of the substrate and sprays the etching solution simultaneously on both sides of the substrate. 3. The etching solution spraying part
The substrate etching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate etching apparatus is a direct type nozzle that jets an etching solution in a circular shape onto the surface of the substrate. The etching solution spraying part
The substrate etching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate etching apparatus is a slit type nozzle that jets an etching solution in a line shape onto the surface of the substrate. The substrate vertical holding part is
2. The substrate etching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate etching apparatus is a substrate jig that opens the upper end portion of the substrate and contacts the lower and both side end portions of the substrate to mount the substrate. The substrate vertical holding part is
The substrate etching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate etching apparatus is a cassette that vertically mounts a plurality of the substrates spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval. The etching solution spraying part
The substrate etching apparatus according to claim 6, wherein an etching solution is sprayed onto the substrate mounted on the cassette and mounted on the cassette.   The substrate etching apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an etching rate measuring unit that measures the degree to which the substrate is etched in real time. The etching rate measuring unit is
A specimen made of the same material as that of the substrate, disposed below the etching solution spraying unit,
A measuring instrument for measuring the degree to which the specimen is etched;
The substrate etching apparatus according to claim 8, comprising:   The substrate etching apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a substrate loading unit disposed in front of the etching solution spraying unit and mounting and supplying the substrate.   The substrate etching apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a rinsing unit that is disposed behind the etching solution spraying unit and sprays ultrapure water onto the substrate.   The substrate etching apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a substrate drying unit disposed behind the rinsing unit and drying the substrate.   The apparatus for etching a substrate according to claim 12, wherein the substrate drying unit is an air knife.   The substrate etching apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a substrate unloading unit disposed behind the substrate drying unit and discharging the substrate.   11. The substrate etching apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising an initial rinsing unit that is disposed between the substrate loading unit and the etchant spray unit and sprays ultrapure water onto the surface of the substrate. Stand the board vertically,
A method of processing a substrate, comprising: etching the substrate such that the etching solution flows down the surface of the substrate by spraying an etching solution onto an upper end of the substrate.   The substrate processing method according to claim 16, wherein the etching is performed by simultaneously spraying an etching solution onto both surfaces of the substrate.   The substrate processing method according to claim 16, wherein after the etching, ultrapure water is sprayed onto the substrate. The substrate processing method according to claim 18, wherein the substrate is dried after the ultra pure injection.

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